Iran curbs internet before possible new protests: Reports

Iran's authorities have restricted mobileinternetaccess in several provinces, anIraniannews agency reported on Wednesday, a daybeforenewprotestswere expected to kick-off following calls for demonstrations on social media.

Social media posts, along with some relatives of people killed in unrest last month, have called for renewedprotestsand for ceremonies to commemorate the dead to be held on Thursday.

State media, meanwhile, said intelligence ministry agents had seized a cache of 126 mostly US-made guns smuggled to the central city of Isfahan from abroad.

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Theprotestswere initially sparked in November by hikes in gasoline prices but demonstrators quickly expanded their demands to cover calls for more political freedom and other issues.

The government, which launched the bloodiest crackdown on demonstrators in the 40-year history of the Islamic Republic, blamed foreign enemies for stoking tensions.

An official denied any order by the authorities to block theinternet, which was shut down for about a week in the November unrest. Anews agency also cited mobile operators saying their services had not been disrupted.

The semi-officialnews agency ILNA quoted an informed source at the Communications and Information Technology Ministry as saying mobileinternetaccess to overseas sites was blocked by "security authorities" in Alborz, Kurdestan and Zanjan provinces in central and westernIranand Fars in the south.

"According to this source, it ispossiblethat more provinces will be affected by the shutdown of mobile international connectivity," ILNA said.

Internetblockage observatory NetBlocks said on Twitter: "Confirmed: Evidence of mobileinternetdisruption in parts of #Iran...real-time network data show two distinct drops in connectivity this morning amidreportsof regional outages; incident ongoing."

The shutdown appeared to be spreading.

"I just checked myself and asked a friend, and theinternetis off on our mobiles," a resident in Ahvaz, the capital of the oil producing Khuzestan province, told sources.

But a communications ministry spokesman denied there was an order to shut down theinternet. "No such order has been issued by the judiciary or other relevant authorities. The FakeNews are at work," Jamal Hadian said in a Twitter post.

Iran's three mobile operators also denied experiencing anyinternetdisruptions, the local sources reported.

In Alborz province, one of the areas affected by the shutdown, authorities this week arrested the parents of a young man who was shot dead during theprotests, after pressuring them to call off a commemoration for their son scheduled for Thursday, citing concerns it could create unrest.

The weapons seized in Isfahan included assault rifles, handguns and pellet guns, the statenews agency IRNA said. "Most of the weapons carry USA badges and are American-made," it added.

Theinternetblockage made it difficult for protesters to post videos on social media to generate support and also to obtain reliablereportson the extent of the unrest.

Security forces have been on alert for any events that could spark more unrest after 1,500 people were killed in less than two weeks afterprotestserupted on November15, according to reports.

That figure is much higher than estimates by international human rights groups and was also dismissed as "fakenews" by a spokesman forIran's top state security body.

The United States imposed sanctions onIran's communications minister last month for his role in "widescaleinternetcensorship," a reference to the nationwide shutdown.

Iranhas blamed "thugs" linked to exiles and foreign foes - the United States, Israel and Saudi Arabia - for stirring up unrest through social media.

During theprotests, hundreds of banks and public buildings were attacked and damaged.